The Teeth of Known Ancestors Was Found By A Student In Dorset

The fossil remains of two rat-like creatures believed to be our oldest known ancestors have been discovered.
The two teeth, from two different species, were found in samples of Cretaceous period rock from cliffs in Swanage, Dorset by student Grant Smith.

The animals - who lived 145 million years ago in the shadows of the dinosaurs - are believed to be ancestors of most mammals living today, including the blue whale, the pygmy shrew and humans.
Dr Steven Sweetman, of the University of Portsmouth, said his "jaw dropped", when Mr Smith brought him the specimen to have a look at.
He said: "The teeth are of a type so highly evolved that I realised straight away I was looking at remains of Early Cretaceous mammals that more closely resembled those that lived during the latest Cretaceous, some 60 million years later in geological history.
"In the world of palaeontology there has been a lot of debate around a specimen found in China, which is approximately 160 million years old. This was originally said to be of the same type as ours but recent studies have ruled this out.
"That being the case, our 145 million-year-old teeth are undoubtedly the earliest yet known from the line of mammals that lead to our own species."